1869 college football season
Encyclopedia
The 1869 college football season was the first season of intercollegiate football
. It is considered the inaugural college football
season, and consisted of only two total games, both of which occurred between the and ; The first was played on November 6 at Rutgers' campus, and the second was played on November 13 at Princeton's campus.
The first ever college football national championship
awarded (retroactively) was split between the only two participants in 1869, Rutgers and Princeton. Princeton was named the champion by the Billingsley Report and the National Championship Foundation, while college football research historian Parke H. Davis
named the two teams co-champions. Various other ratings and retrospectives have rated the teams differently.
The two games played were played under much different rules than what is currently understood as the game of football, and also, played under different rules from each other. However, what developed into a more rugby
-style play and eventually into the football known by current fans had its beginnings in 1869.
In what is regarded as the very first game ever played of intercollegiate football
, a contest was held between teams from Rutgers College (now Rutgers University
) and the College of New Jersey (now Princeton University
). The 1869 game between Rutgers and Princeton is important in that it is the first documented game of intercollegiate football between two American college
s.The Princeton/Rutgers game was undoubtedly different from what we today know as American football. Nonetheless it was the forerunner of what evolved into American football.
" to any player that caught the ball on the fly. This rule seriously affected the speed
advantage of Rutgers that had allowed them to win the first contest. Princeton won the second game by a score of eight to zero.
awarded (retroactively) for the 1869 season.
Rutgers players from the first ever game were honored fifty years later in a ceremony at their home-coming. The last surviving member of this Rutgers team was George H. Large
, who died in 1939. The last surviving member for Princeton was Robert Preston Lane, who died in 1938.
College football
College football refers to American football played by teams of student athletes fielded by American universities, colleges, and military academies, or Canadian football played by teams of student athletes fielded by Canadian universities...
. It is considered the inaugural college football
College football
College football refers to American football played by teams of student athletes fielded by American universities, colleges, and military academies, or Canadian football played by teams of student athletes fielded by Canadian universities...
season, and consisted of only two total games, both of which occurred between the and ; The first was played on November 6 at Rutgers' campus, and the second was played on November 13 at Princeton's campus.
The first ever college football national championship
NCAA Division I FBS National Football Championship
A college football national championship in the highest level of collegiate play in the United States, currently the National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I Football Bowl Subdivision , is a designation awarded annually by various third-party organizations to their selection of the best...
awarded (retroactively) was split between the only two participants in 1869, Rutgers and Princeton. Princeton was named the champion by the Billingsley Report and the National Championship Foundation, while college football research historian Parke H. Davis
Parke H. Davis
Parke Hill Davis was an American football player, coach and historian who retroactively named the national championship teams in American college football from the 1869 through the 1932 seasons. He also named co-national champions at the conclusion of the 1933 season...
named the two teams co-champions. Various other ratings and retrospectives have rated the teams differently.
The two games played were played under much different rules than what is currently understood as the game of football, and also, played under different rules from each other. However, what developed into a more rugby
Rugby football
Rugby football is a style of football named after Rugby School in the United Kingdom. It is seen most prominently in two current sports, rugby league and rugby union.-History:...
-style play and eventually into the football known by current fans had its beginnings in 1869.
First intercollegiate football game ever played
- See 1869 New Jersey vs. Rutgers football game1869 New Jersey vs. Rutgers football gameThe 1869 New Jersey vs. Rutgers football game was a college football game between the and the played on November 6, 1869...
In what is regarded as the very first game ever played of intercollegiate football
College football
College football refers to American football played by teams of student athletes fielded by American universities, colleges, and military academies, or Canadian football played by teams of student athletes fielded by Canadian universities...
, a contest was held between teams from Rutgers College (now Rutgers University
Rutgers University
Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey , is the largest institution for higher education in New Jersey, United States. It was originally chartered as Queen's College in 1766. It is the eighth-oldest college in the United States and one of the nine Colonial colleges founded before the American...
) and the College of New Jersey (now Princeton University
Princeton University
Princeton University is a private research university located in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. The school is one of the eight universities of the Ivy League, and is one of the nine Colonial Colleges founded before the American Revolution....
). The 1869 game between Rutgers and Princeton is important in that it is the first documented game of intercollegiate football between two American college
College
A college is an educational institution or a constituent part of an educational institution. Usage varies in English-speaking nations...
s.The Princeton/Rutgers game was undoubtedly different from what we today know as American football. Nonetheless it was the forerunner of what evolved into American football.
Second and final game of 1869
A rematch was played at Princeton a week later under Princeton rules. One of the biggest differences in rules was the awarding of a "free kickKick
In combat sports and hand-to-hand combat, a kick is a physical strike using the foot, leg, or knee . This type of attack is used frequently, especially in stand-up fighting...
" to any player that caught the ball on the fly. This rule seriously affected the speed
Speed
In kinematics, the speed of an object is the magnitude of its velocity ; it is thus a scalar quantity. The average speed of an object in an interval of time is the distance traveled by the object divided by the duration of the interval; the instantaneous speed is the limit of the average speed as...
advantage of Rutgers that had allowed them to win the first contest. Princeton won the second game by a score of eight to zero.
Aftermath of the 1869 games
The two schools had originally scheduled to meet three times in 1869, but the third 1869 game never took place, reportedly because of the officials at both programs who complained about more emphasis being put on the contests rather than academics and studying. Other sources claim that it may have been canceled due to disagreement over what set of rules to play under. Due to each team winning one game, the inaugural football "season" ended with Princeton and Rutgers each tied at 1-1, and therefore each received a partial share of the college football national championshipNCAA Division I FBS National Football Championship
A college football national championship in the highest level of collegiate play in the United States, currently the National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I Football Bowl Subdivision , is a designation awarded annually by various third-party organizations to their selection of the best...
awarded (retroactively) for the 1869 season.
Rutgers players from the first ever game were honored fifty years later in a ceremony at their home-coming. The last surviving member of this Rutgers team was George H. Large
George H. Large
George Hall Large was an American lawyer and Republican Party politician who served as President of the New Jersey Senate. He was also the longest surviving participant in the first ever college football game in 1869....
, who died in 1939. The last surviving member for Princeton was Robert Preston Lane, who died in 1938.